In the sacraments, spirit and matter "kiss." Heaven and earth embrace in a union that will never end.

In Christ, man who made himself God encounters God who made himself man. Unrivaled self-importance and pride encounters unrivaled self-emptying and humility.

Marriage is the most basic expression of the vocation to love that all men and women have as persons made in God's image.

The Church's basic moral principle regarding reproductive technologies is this: if a given technology assists the marital embrace in achieving its natural end, it can be morally acceptable, even praiseworthy. However, if it replaces the marital embrace as the means by which the child is conceived, it's not in keeping with God's design.

If we want to know what's most sacred in this world, all we need to do is look for what is most violently profaned.

The free exchange of consent properly witnessed by the Church establishes the marriage bond. Sexual union consummates it - seals it, completes it, perfects it. Sexual union, then, is where the words of the wedding vows become flesh.

Marital love is a reflection of how God loves. It is free, total, faithful and fruitful.